Kate Braum
Katherine Melanija Muscowitz Braum (born August 19, 1971) is an American politician who was appointed to head the New York City Planning Commission by Mayor Jeremy Beaumont in 2013, where she has served ever since. Braum is a minor fashion icon and she has wielded an extraordinary amount of public influence given her position. She was present at the Democratic Unity Convention. Early Life and Education Saul and Eva Muscowitz were Jewish aristocrats in Riga, living an opulent lifestyle thanks to the fur trade. Unfortunately, history was not kind to them, as the couple just barely survived the Riga Ghetto, the Rumbula Massacre, and just barely escaped to Britain and then New York. Once in the States, Saul went into the advertising industry, and Eva went to secretary school, both blessed with knowledge of English. Soon after, Eva went to work as a typist for the NYPD, and the two moved out to the suburbs of Westchester County. They became comfortably middle class, especially once Eva was promoted to Gracie Mansion, where she became a secretary for Mayor Lindsay after almost 20 years in her field. In 1971, Eva gave birth to Kate, the fact that she was Mayor Lindsay's illegitimate child became public knowledge thereafter. Growing up, Kate had a comfortable life. Saul loved her in his own reserved way, despite the fact that she was not his own. Her strict parents pushed her in academics and the arts, sending her to the best Jewish private schools, and forcing her to play the viola until be fingers bled on numerous occasions. At the age of 18, Kate attended Barnard College, where she majored in history. 4 years later, she attended Harvard Law School, where she earned her JD with a focus in real estate law. It was at Harvard that she also met her future husband, a much older law professor, Lucas Braum. Pre-Political Career Shortly after their marriage in Boston, the couple moved to Manhattan, as Kate was offered a position at a prestigious contract law firm on the Lower East Side. During her tenure at the law firm, which lasted until 2009, Kate mediated 9 billion dollars worth of contract deals, most notably that of the Freedom Tower, a success that earned her a position as partner. During this time, Kate's husband taught at NYU, and the pair became established in New York's high society. It was at the Metropolitan Opera that the pair met Jeremy Beaumont, and they quickly became close with the grocery mogul. When Braum left the law firm in '09, she gave birth to her daughter, Erin Braum. She became a full-time mother, joining the board of a Manhattan preparatory school as well. Political Career Braum remained out of the limelight until the Beaumont campaign, which she joined as a legal advisor. In 2013, she was called into Gracie Mansion to become the Counsel to the Mayor, a position which she held for one year, until Beaumont appointed her Chair of the New York City Planning Commission. Braum took this appointment very very seriously, becoming almost as public and dynamic as her boss. While Chairwoman and Director, Braum has pioneered the revamping of the ferry lines and ferry terminals, the reconstruction of the subways of Brooklyn and Queens, and organized the construction of a fourth public farmers market, this market being located in the Bronx. In addition, she has coordinated with the Departments of Housing, Design, and Building to raise and enforce building standards for public housing, which involved the expansion of enforcement capabilities, the refurbishment of the GW Bridge, and to expand vending permits for parks and public lands, relaxing regulations for smal businesspeople. From her position, Katherine has pushed the City Council to establish 6 new vocational schools, in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. As part of this education initiative, Kate also worked with the CUNY and NYU systems to transform almost 50 acres of parkland into public-use campus green space. Kate's largest achievement has been the construction of NYC's largest for-profit recycling plant on Roosevelt Island, creating green power for much of Brooklyn through the construction of a massive wind farm near Brighton Beach. While expensive upon their creation at the end of 2015, both projects have broken even and are projected to save taxpayers in the coming years. Throughout her time in this position, Kate has become a popular public figure, especially since Mayor Beaumont's time on the campaign trail which has given her even more room to grow. She has been tipped as a potential mayoral candidate for both the Democrats and the Republicans, especially due to her noted centrist, neoliberal, pro-education stances Personal Life Kate is married to Lucas Braum, an Academic, and has one child, Erin Braum, who was born in 2009. Kate sits on the boards of multiple preparatory schools and is also on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is widely know to be active in Manhattan high society, and frequently attends the Metropolitan Opera. She has several fan pages and has spawned a mini fashion trend in New York City known as "The Braum Look", which features, "dark, professional attire befitting a foreign dignitary". Category:Female Politicians